maxess reduces complexity with IBM cloud solution

To read a German version of this case study, click here.

maxess systemhaus gmbh, headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, is an expanding IT company. Its core product is the x-trade suite merchandise management system, a complete package tailored to meet the needs of the retail industry. In a well-established ERP satisfaction survey, x-trade suite has consistently been rated among the top systems three years running.

Using cloud offerings to reduce complexity
Having gained experience in rolling out its x-trade suite in private cloud environments for enterprise customers, maxess is now offering small and mid-sized retailers the ability to run the solution in the cloud, hosted in IBM data centres.

“Managing an IT solution is complex,” explains Florian Bernauer, CEO at maxess. “It involves the set-up and maintenance of numerous middleware and hardware components, and mid-sized companies often lack specialist resources for each of these. By providing x-trade suite in the cloud, based on IBM SmartCloud Enterprise technology, we can simplify deployment and support.”

By operating a central merchandise management system that includes the point-of-sales management solution in the cloud, retailers can reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs, enabling them to focus on their core business rather than on system administration.

“With our x-trade suite running on the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise platform, our customers can replace distributed local servers with flexible capacity in the cloud,” says Florian Bernauer. “Only the point-of-sales terminals stay in the branches; all other systems are hosted in the IBM cloud.”

Selecting IBM as cloud provider
“We evaluated various options, and in close collaboration with our customers we selected IBM as our cloud provider,” says Florian Bernauer. “Many customers want to take advantage of flexible offerings, including capacity on demand, but do not want to compromise on security. With data centre locations in Germany, IBM can ensure compliance with highest data protection and privacy requirements.

“IBM specialists assess the capacity requirements and select the best sizing option. Then the capacity of the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise solution can be adjusted flexibly to meet customers’ individual needs at any time. “The capacity on demand option enables our customers to handle peak workloads easily, without wasting money on capacity they do not need on a daily basis,” says Florian Bernauer.

Häfele rolls out maxess solution in the cloud
Häfele is a globally active enterprise, retailer and producer of furniture fittings, architectural hardware and also electronic locking systems. With its complete software-as-a-service offering for store management software including merchandise management and point of sales features, maxess was able to provide the ideal platform for Häfele. The required infrastructure for the central x-trade suite and x-trade store applications are provided by the IBM SmartCloud in Ehningen.

The first Häfele shop in Spain has already been migrated to the new solution without any problems. Now the solution will be rolled out to all future franchise stores in Spain.

“With the full maxess x-trade suite running on the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise platform, we can use the required merchandise management features with only minimal local IT resources,” says Wilfried Mast, Head of Application Development at Häfele GmbH & Co. KG. “There are no limitations compared to a local installation.”

Advantages of IBM SmartCloud Enterprise
For maxess as a solution provider, IBM SmartCloud Enterprise accelerates projects significantly. “With the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise offering, we can provide customers with test environments within a few days, instead of four to six weeks,” says Florian Bernauer.

The faster deployment of testing and development systems not only speeds up the project, but also reduces costs for customers by approximately 40 percent and enables them to focus on the implementation rather than the infrastructure.

“We have enjoyed close collaboration with IBM for 15 years now,” says Florian Bernauer. “The IBM cloud team really listens to our needs, and addresses them when they update the cloud platform. We remain confident that IBM SmartCloud Enterprise is the best solution for our customers, and for us.”